I Remember You
by MayaLala
Summary: Book 1. Nick and Jess meet up over the years before they become roommates. What will happen when their chemistry collides? Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Nick filled the tray with mojitos, whiskey sours and beers. Sara carried them to the table of well dressed Friday nighters laughing loudly. The music was pumping and everyone was having a good time. There were people lined up and down the bar waving twenties at him yelling out for tequilla shots and Kamikazes. His hands flew throwing ice in glasses and grabbing bottles tossing clear liquids that promised forgetting hard work weeks.

"OK, one beer, one whiskey and a glass of wine. That's $14.50" he yelled out over the music to the side of a woman's face who was distracted by a group of men in the corner.

She looked back at him and smiled "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

She was beautiful he thought. Not like the other women in here that were sexy and attractive like a puma after a milk bath but more like she was beautiful the day she was born. Her eyes smiled before her plump lips did. She was pale and pink like she was too warm in her cardigan. Her eyes were like that of a doll, oversized and clearer than most people's were after a few drinks.

"I said $14.50" he yelled over the music.

She jumped a bit and her eyes changed to that of concern.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell, it's just crazy in here tonight."

"Yeah, it certainly is. I have never seen it like this before."

He was surprised he hadn't noticed her if she was a regular. He took her money and handed her the change. She turned in the direction of the group of guys in the corner as she picked it up along with the drinks and walked to a few tables away.

Nick turned to look back down the bar and saw three people with frustrated looks on their faces waiting for their orders. He pasted a smile on his face and started working his way down the line forgetting about her as he went.

An hour later things were calming down. Sarah and Nick were using the breather to fill trays with dirty glasses and mugs from the tables that needed washing. Nick barely noticed people when the place was this packed. He tended to notice the louder more obnoxious ones because they usually spelled trouble. One of the tables in particular had a group of guys that were starting to feel a little bit like a frat party gone wrong.

He took his empty tray and began to load it with wine and shot glasses, and a few beer mugs. He didn't notice the woman sitting in the booth until she said rather loudly "hey".

He looked up. It was her again. She was smiling up at him.

"Looks like things are calming down a bit."

Nick smiled and shook his head "yeah, for now. There will be another wave at around 11."

"Really? You know these things?"

"Well, the late night dinner people who get reservations at nine will be finishing up and heading to a bar next. They are the eleven oclockers. Next are the one oclockers and they are the super drunks that are rushing bars before last call."

She quietly laughed.

"What? Yeah, kinda dumb I know that but you learn things after awhile. Watch, I guarantee it."

"OK. How about we bet on it?"

He liked where this was going. She was so pretty and her smile kind of made him feel shy. "How much?"

"Just a drink. I probably have had too much already but hey, why not?

Her eyes had turned a bit sad when she said that but she looked straight at him and smiled sincerely.

"Alright, a drink. When we close so that when you have to buy mine, I can actually drink it."

"Well then, you had better bring me some water or I won't last that long."

"One water, coming up."

Back at the bar he placed a shirley temple on a tray and asked Sarah to bring it over to her along with a wine glass filled with ice water and a lemon.

He kept his eyes on his dishes knowing she would look at him when she got it. He felt ridiculous now that he had sent it over and avoided eye contact with her for the next hour.

Right on cue, the 11 o'clockers arrived. They were an older crowd usually just a one cocktail set. As he moved up and down the bar filling orders he looked for a gap so he could look at the table with the beautiful girl hoping to shoot her smug smile.

She wasn't sitting there now. His felt disappointment immediately as he looked at the couple occupying her space. They were pretty, polished and shiny like models.

He filled some large mugs for some big guys and as they turned from the bar to leave he saw her behind them. She was so tiny they completely blocked her from his view.

"Hey, did you come up here so I could point out the current time and new crowd to you?"

Without skipping a bit she replied "hey you haven't won yet mister."

"OK, ok, what can I get you?"

"Um, wine I guess."

"You guess? You think you want wine but I see you eyeing these bottles wondering what else you should order."

She blushed slightly "yeah, you're probably right."

"Well, wine is for earlier in the evening. Now you're with the 11 o'clockers and they don't drink wine because they had that with dinner."

"OK then what are they drinking ... this mythical crowd that eat dinner too late?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked an expert" he said throwing in a wink while he was at it. "This crowd is full so they don't want fruity cocktails. They just want the alcohol so it's usually something on the rocks."

"Um, I don't really like straight liquor. I get way too drunk too fast. I am kind of a light weight actually."

She was adorable he thought. Definitely not the kind of girl you get super drunk and take home.

"Alright, so you are allowed a mixer then. How about what you had earlier with some vodka?"

"Yeah, I can handle that. By the way, thanks for the drink. That was nice."

"Sure, no problem. I just wanted to make sure you could make it to closing without puking on one of my tables."

She looked at the ground hiding her face. What had he said? He swallowed hard thinking he needed to be careful with this one. She reminded him of a bird with a broken wing.

"Alright, here you go."

She handed him a $10 that he immediately waved away.

"Nope, we'll settle at closing. This way you cannot skip out on our bet just because you lost." He threw in his best grin hoping she'd take the bait. She did and looked back up at him shyly. "OK" she nodded her head, smiling back.

She turned with her drink and walked back to the table with the shiny couple and sat a bit on her own towards the edge. He had tried not to look at her legs coming out of her short skirt but yeah, he looked. Whistling, he turned back to the throngs of people vying for his attention.

Later as things were winding down, he saw the shiny couple leave through the front door obviously heading home, together. He scanned the bar for the girl but couldn't find her. Feeling defeated he began to clean up the and think what he needed to do to close for the night.

He carried the receipts and money from the register back to the office to put in the safe. Walking down the hallway he could hear a very drunk dude chatting up a girl.

"Come on babe, you know you wanna come come home wit me. It's been too shlong. Pweeze, come on."

He could still hear him talking as he opened the safe and put the bag of money in.

"I told you no. Why are you playing these games with me. It's unfair."

He recognized the voice as the girl with the legs. His ears perked up and his head turned towards the door. He closed up the safe and walked back turning off the light in the office. He moved very slowly hoping to catch more of the conversation.

"You're sucha a tease babe. U just sitting there looking all good staring at me."

"I wasn't staring at you, I was wondering why you were acting like such a jerk actually."

Nick popped his head around the corner so they could see him "hey folks, we're closing up." She was almost pinned against the wall with her arms crossed in front of her and one of the obnoxious guys from the corner booth leaning over her.

Drunk guy turned towards Nick "Yeah dude, we're leavin, right babe?"

She looked at Nick with somewhat pleading eyes and said "no, I'm not leaving."

"Hey pal, I think she wants you to move on. Why don't you do that."

"Whatevs, I'm out. You're a whiny bitch anyway." He turned and stumbled his way down the hallway.

Nick stood there in the hallway leaning against a wall with his arms crossed making sure the door shut behind the jackass before he turned towards the girl.

"You OK?"

"I've been better" she said with a sigh blowing air up into her bangs.

He smiled at her tight lipped. "Well, how about you come and sit with me at the bar while I finish cleaning up."

"OK" she said rather shyly again.

Sitting on the stool nearest the register she messed with her hair and avoided his gaze whenever he was nearby. He felt like she needed a friend more than anything. He took a napkin and filled it with orange slices and cherries and filled up a bowl with peanuts and put them in front of her.

Her eyes got wide at the gesture and she nodded a thank you towards him.

"So I noticed the one o'clockers came and went. They were pretty drunk I guess that means I owe you a drink." Her voice seemed cheerier than before.

"Ah, you caught that did you? Yep, I'm a pro at this thing." He looked at the ground feeling like a dumbass knowing that was a stupid thing to be a pro at.

"Yeah, you are" she said quietly looking back at the ground.

That's when he noticed her shoulders slump and her chest begin to heave. Leaning over the counter he put his hand down flat to get her attention. "Why don't you tell me what's making you so sad tonight."

"That guy, isn't it obvious?"

"Well, OK, so."

"He's my boyfriend actually. Well, sometimes he's my boyfriend. Sometimes he's a jerk."

"Yeah, I can see that part."

"I know. My friend doesn't like him either and I don't know why I keep hanging in there. He used to be so much nicer. We're both in the teaching program and we met in class. At first it was all puppy dogs and hand holding. Then this past year, I don't know, it's changed."

Nick now understood why she kept looking sad tonight surrounded by so many people having fun. He also not understood that she had only flirted with him to get back at her boyfriend. Ah, Nick, what a fool.

He brought her another glass of ice water and they sat and talked for a long time. Eventually he saw her yawn and he finished up his cleaning and began turning the lights off.

"Hey, how you getting home? Can I give you a ride?"

"Um, I can just call a cab."

"OK, here's the number but I don't mind driving you if you want."

"OK, if you don't mind."

"By the way, my name is Nick."

"Hi" she said putting out her hand "my name is Jess."

**This story was inspired by imeantsomethinglikethat's piece called 'Nice to Meet Ya, Doll'. Please read that story, if you haven't already, as it is very well done. Thanks for your time. -Mayalala**


	2. Chapter 2

Jess was sitting at a table waiting for her friends from work. She had gotten there a little early after running home to change. It would be nice to hang out with the other teachers at work socially for a change. They had all been nice to her since she started working there helping her figure out her class and giving her advice on what to do with the "so called problem children" even though Jess knew they just needed more attention.

Glancing at her phone to check the time, she looked around the bar. It had been painted since the last time she was there and a new wood counter put on the bar. It looked good.

Peggy and Joan showed up first. They hugged Jess and sat down next to her taking off their sweaters and talking about parking. Two others came as well and they all quickly started talking about the meeting they had that morning about the new teachers that were coming next year. Jess had secretly hoped one of them would be her age so she wasn't always hanging out with married women.

The waitress came by to take their orders with most everyone ordering wine including Jess.

"Jess I hear you are trying to add an art component to your classroom for kids to get better grades?"

Jess realized she had been not listening to the conversation for awhile now spacing off. "Yeah, I am. Art for me is very therapeutic and so I think some of the kids could use another way to express themselves when they are feeling anxiety from test taking."

The women shook their heads sympathetic but she sensed they didn't feel the same.

Now feeling a bit awkward and judged by the women, she excused herself and went to the restroom. Looking in the mirror she smiled and fixed her hair a bit. "What do they know, those kids just need some glitter and glue and their day won't be so blue." She laughed at her rhyme and walked out back to the table.

That's when she felt his eyes on her. She turned to look at the bartender but he was looking down at the bar washing it with a cloth. Yeah, it was him. She remembered him now. It was that guy that told Sean to get lost and then drove her home. She had thought about him quite a few times since then. If she was being honest with herself, he might have been the reason she changed her dress before coming. She couldn't believe he still worked here.

"I heard that Doug is being transferred to another school because he's been sleeping with the principal's wife."

"What" Jess said returning to the table. "Doug, no." Her and Doug had gone on a few lunch dates and she simply couldn't see him having an affair. He was too nice.

"Yeah, apparently now there are divorce rumors and that is why we had the meeting this morning about the new people coming through."

Eventually the waitress came by again and they ordered more wine. Jess listened to the women talk about their husbands and children. She ran her finger over the top of her glass remembering the way the guy at the bar had flirted with her that night. She blushed a bit and then realized she was acting ridiculous.

Their drinks arrived and the waitress passed them around the table. In front of Jess she put a glass of wine as well as a shirley temple. "Wait, I'm sorry, but I didn't order this" she said picking it up to give back to the waitress.

"Yes, I know, the bartender sent it over."

Jess smiled looking at the drink in her hand. Setting it down she turned to look over at the bar. He was watching for her reaction and met her eyes with a smile. She mouthed a thank you and he winked at her. Then her face turned beet red and she looked at her hands hoping none of the other women had seen what just transpired.

"Jess, what was that all about? Give us the scoop."

"It's nothing, just a nice guy bought me a shirley temple."

"Nice guy, my bunyon, that is a man. Look at him."

She swallowed wanting to turn around but knew she couldn't. He had remembered her and she was suddenly so thankful she wore the sexier dress out of her options. She looked down at her chest to make sure the girls were looking alright and she adjusted her shoulders to make everything look their best.

The other women kept chatting but Jess was finding it harder and harder to hear anything they said. The bar was beginning to fill up with people and honestly she wasn't interested in Joan's new car or why her husband had insisted she get it.

Finally she took out her phone and texted Cece.

_Hey wanna meet for a drink right now. I am at a work thing and a little bored._

_Sure. I'd love to._

_Cool, I'm at that bar we used to go to in college with the red walls on 34th?_

_I know the one. I'll be over in half an hour._

Cece arrived wearing a cute strappy dress and Jess was instantly relieved to see her. She excused herself from the table and walked over to hug her.

Sensing Jess was feeling a bit nervous, Cece suggested they sit at the bar.

"Cece, what do I do with those ladies? I don't wanna be mean but I'm done."

"Tell them I just broke up with my boyfriend and I need you."

"Oh, that's good. OK, I will be right back."

"Good, I'll be sitting at the bar looking sad."

Jess panicked at that and surveyed the bar looking for another table. She didn't know if she could handle being so near the bartender.

"Hey ladies, my friend over there just broke up with her boyfriend and she kinda needs a shoulder to lean on. Would you mind if I went and sat with her?"

"Oh the poor thing." The women glanced towards Cece who was sitting at the bar shoulders slumped looking as though she might cry.

"Sure honey, us women gotta stick together. You tell her it'll get better."

"Thanks."

She grabbed her purse, took off her cardigan and walked as confidently as she could towards the barstool next to Cece. Taking a deep breath she turned towards the bartender and put her hand up to flag him down.

He walked over to the two of them smiling at Jess. Their eyes were definitely doing a little flirty dance that was making her heart race in excitement.

"Hi" he said. "How are you doing this evening?"

"I'm good, how about yourself?"

"Doing good." His smile was ridiculously cute she thought. Whew, this was gonna be hard. "What can I get you two this evening" glancing over at Cece.

"We would like two rum and cokes please" Cece said without asking Jess what she wanted.

"Unless that isn't what 7 o'clockers drink" added Jess with a grin.

Nick turned back to her and his eyes lit up eyebrows raised. "Oh, well, 7 o'clockers now they are a special crowd. They can order anything from the bar because it's early and they haven't made many decisions about dinner, about how drunk they're gonna get."

He turned away smiling at Jess and fixed their drinks.

Cece leaned over to Jess "what is the deal with you and this guy?"

"Nothing, he's just a flirt I think."

"Yeah, flirty with you Jess."

Jess realized he hadn't really even looked at Cece. Most guys flocked to Cece and the shyer ones talked her up usually.

Cece and Jess sat at the bar for a couple of hours catching up on their new jobs. Jess hadn't had a chance to girl talk for awhile and it felt good to just sit and laugh. Occasionally a guy would come over and try to buy them drinks but Cece would wave them off and say "not tonight honey" or "find someone else". She was bold with men in a way Jess never could be.

Nick brought them drinks regularly as well as bowls of popcorn and glasses of water. He was certainly a sweet one that guy. Jess always said thank you noticing that their eyes lingered sometimes when he was making drinks for other customers.

"I think that guy likes you" Cece finally said after a particular long stare between the two of them.

"No, I think he is just a nice guy. You know he gave me a ride home once when Sean and I had a fight here."

"You never told me that Jess."

"Well, it wasn't that big of a deal. Nick, that's his name, heard Sean and I fighting and he told Sean to get lost and then the bar was closed so he drove me home."

"He didn't try anything?"

"No, we just talked actually. I got the impression he drives a lot of girls home."

"Really?" Cece looked back at the bartender checking him out. He was dressed horribly but his face was cute if you're into that rugged look. He hadn't shaved in a few days, his hair was kind of all over the place. She could see how some women would find him attractive. She also noticed how many times he looked over at Jess.

"You should give him your phone number."

"Cece, no, I, no, I couldn't."

"Why not, he's cute and he keeps looking at you."

Jess realized it was getting late and she had school in the morning. It was already gonna be a tough day after the drinks she had but she really needed to get home. Her and Nick hadn't talked but a few times. He was pretty busy working the bar. She thought about what Cece said giving him her number. She wasn't so sure about that but what did she have to lose.

They both got up off their stools and were taking money out of their wallets for the drinks. Nick looked over realizing she was leaving and walked over towards them.

"We need to settle up barkeep" Jess said with a southern drawl.

"No, you're good. It's on me" he smiled back.

"No way, that is way too much" she protested. Cece touched her hand lightly.

A customer on the other end of the bar called for Nick loudly. He turned to look down there and waved at him he would be there in a moment.

"Well, thank you very much" Jess said wanting to say more.

Nick paused for a moment and swallowed "yeah, no problem" and he knocked two times on the bar and turned to walk down to the guy on the other end.

Her shoulders slumped a bit and she realized she was a little disappointed. Cece fiddled in her purse and brought out a pen. Taking a cocktail napkin she wrote something out and handed it to Jess. It was her name and phone number. Jess shrugged and Cece took it with their money and left it on the counter.

Jess turned to walk out of the bar and Cece knocked twice on the counter getting Nick's attention and then pointed to where they had left the money and napkin. He nodded he would pick it up and the two women left the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

Nick liked getting dressed up from time to time. He welcomed an opportunity to put a little product in his hair, bust out the suspenders and polish his only fancy man shoes he had. He felt mature and wise when he pulled the jacket onto his shoulders and checked himself out in the mirror. Looking good Miller he thought. OK, looking as good as you can Miller, he chuckled.

Winston was waiting in the living room wearing a suit as well and holding a gift in his hand wrapped in silver paper with a matching bow.

"Hey man, you ready?"

"Yeah, I am. Don't you want to know what we got them as a gift?"

"Sure, what did we get them?" Nick said not really caring at all.

"It's a salt and pepper shaker."

"Cool man, how much do I owe you?"

"Thirty bucks."

"You spent $60 on a salt and pepper shaker. It's just salt, what the hell?"

"Yeah, get over it Nick. You owe me $30."

"Alright, add it to my tab."

Winston rolled his eyes. "Great, yeah, your tab."

The wedding ceremony was boring and Nick yawned through most of it. He stared at other people around him. Couples holding hands, kids getting fidgety in their seats, women patting at their eyes with tissues. Women he thought, so emotional.

He couldn't wait to get out of the church as it felt like a thousand degrees in there and he had too many clothes on. Stretching his arms up in the air he leaned back in his seat and glanced at the rows behind him. That's when it hit him. He saw her. Sitting a few rows back looking up at the altar with a small happy smile on her face. She was wearing a blue halter dress and her hair was down around her exposed shoulders.

Nick immediately turned back in his seat and looked down at the ground.

"What's wrong man?" Winston whispered.

"Ah, nothing, I just saw a girl I met at the bar a long time ago. She had given me her phone number and I never called her." Nick rubbed his face feeling instantly nervous.

Winston smiled and looked over Nick's shoulder. He saw a girl sitting alone. She was beautiful with giant blue eyes and pink cheeks. She looked sweet.

"Why didn't you call her? She's gorgeous."

"Because I'm an idiot Winston" Nick angrily said back a little more above a whisper.

"Shhhh" an older woman turned around scolding them with her eyes.

"Sorry ma'am" said Winston.

Winston and Nick studied the seating chart trying to find their names. Nick was bummed Winston was sitting at a different table because he really didn't feel like making small talk with anyone tonight. How the hell had Winston convinced him to go to this wedding in the first place. They barely knew the groom who was actually the brother of their old high school buddy, James. He is who they really had come to see.

He hit the bar first, whiskey now in hand, Nick found his seat and hung his jacket on the back of his chair. Nobody else was at the table yet so he took a seat and nursed his drink slowly wondering how much longer they had to stay here.

"Hello" said a woman's voice from behind him.

He turned towards her and was startled to see her sitting down in the chair next to him. Silent, he simply stared at her while his face slowly broke into a smile. It would be hard not to. Her eyes sparkled as she danced around his face, her plump lips were turned up at the edges waiting to grant him a smile and her hair framed her tiny face and fell down her back.

"Hi. Hi. How are you?"

She giggled a bit, her face blushing slightly in the cheeks.

"I'm good, and you?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

They both smiled at one another without saying much. She was confused as to whether or not he remembered her.

"Um, do you remember me?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Really, because you look like you have no idea who I am and it is awfully weird we are sitting together. There are probably a lot of people here you know. I actually don't know a single person except for the bride that is actually the mother of one of my students and that's it." She was babbling and fully aware how uncomfortable she felt. His gaze was freaking her out. She remembered him being cute at the bar but the tie and the suspenders, whew, he was way cuter now.

Nick looked at his feet under the table and forced himself to take a deep breath to calm his racing heart.

"You drink wine...and shirley temples."

"Ahhh, you do remember? Or maybe you are a good guesser? That must be a bartender thing though. I am also guessing that you give shirley temples to all the girls who get in fights with their boyfriends. As well as rides home."

"Actually no, I don't. You just looked like a girl that would drink a shirley temple."

He wanted to stare at her but she was sitting so close he could smell her perfume and it was making him a bit dizzy. She smelled like a fresh shower and vanilla. It was hard to think clearly.

"Now tell me, what told you I would drink a shirley temple" she replied flirtatiously.

He chuckled looking down at his drink, shaking it a bit to break the ice cubes apart.

"I think it had something to do with the bow you had in your hair the first time I met you. Seemed like something Shirley Temple herself would do."

He couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to her. Jackpot tonight Nick Miller. Someone sat you next to the perfect girl.

"Honestly though, it was a long time ago. I don't remember it that well."

"Yeah it was" she said slightly regretful. "You remember I had a bow in my hair though, seriously. I used to rock a lot of bows back then."

"Yeah, I guess I did." He remembered her very well. He had thought about her many times. In fact he still had her phone number in his desk drawer.

He saw the wine bottles already on the table and he reached over and poured her a glass of white. "Here"

"Thanks" she said and reached over to clink her glass with his whiskey. She stared at him as she tipped her glass back and took a swig.

"By the way, if you don't remember..." she lifted her name card off the table and showed it to him Ms. Jessica Day.

"Nice to meet you Jessica, I'm Mr. Nicholas Miller" he answered back showing her his name card.

"I remember your name" she said as she spun her wine glass in her hand watching the wine create a whirlpool.

The music started up and the DJ announced the bride and groom were entering the ballroom. People stood up from their tables all around them and they followed suit clapping their hands as the happy couple came bounding out to the dance floor.

Nick leaned over to Jessica's ear and whispered "I remembered your name Jess."

Nick, Winston and James were standing at the bar laughing about their high school escapades. Nick was fully aware where Jess was the entire time as he was watching her from afar. She had danced with a couple of different guys but never twice except for the boy she presumed was in her classroom.

Finally she was alone and he saw his opportunity. He turned to the bartender behind him and gave him some instructions. He excused himself from the guys and motioned to his table with his chin which somehow they understood and he picked up the two drinks and walked back over.

"Hey".

"Hi" she said with a huge smile as she saw he was coming towards her. He set the two drinks down in front of them and pulled up his chair close to hers.

"Are you double fisting it tonight" she said motioning to his two drinks.

"No, these are for you, well, one is, whichever one you like."

She looked at him perplexed.

"Well, it is 9:00 which means it is time for the wine to be done and now you move onto cocktails. I remembered from before that you didn't really like cocktails or didn't know which one to order. Now that was a long time ago so I apologize but I am simply giving you a couple of samplers."

She sat silent for a second staring at him. After a moment she registered fully what he was trying to do and she beamed another killer smile at him. They were a bit disarming to him actually and he caught his breath when they landed on his eyes.

"OK, this one is a greyhound. It's grapefruit juice and vodka with a salt ring. It's sweet, sour and salty so it hits all the senses."

He watched as she brought the drink to her mouth and her tongue licked part of the side off before her lips touched the glass. The sight of her tongue on the glass made his insides rumble a bit and he wanted to shake the image out of his head but then he would look ridiculous so he stared instead.

"Mmmm, that's good. I like grapefruit juice."

"Alright, now this is a gin and tonic. It's a mature drink but very simple."

She took a swallow and made a face of dislike as soon as it touched her lips.

He laughed out loud as she put the drink down nodding her face back and forth in a very resolute NO.

"OK, you definitely do not like gin. That's OK, lots of people don't like it. It is an acquired taste."

"I like the grapefruit one."

"Alright then, here, this one is yours and now you have a cocktail you can order at 9:00 p.m."

"With the nine o'clockers" she giggled as she picked up her drink and looked at it. It was pink with salt sprinkles on the outside. It reminded her of a fuzzy hat with snow on it or a pink dress with a white boa. It had style, pizzaz.

They talked about how he learned to bartend and how she became a teacher. She was funny and would touch his shoulder when he made her laugh with stories of trying to pick up girls at the bar. She would tell him about making a fool of herself in front of all the parents of her students. They had been talking for hours and at last they realized the DJ had just called for the last dance.

They turned and looked at each other both kind of surprised they had missed the entire reception. Nick's eyes softened and he put his hand out to her. He saw her take a deep breath and put her hand in his and they both stood up and walked to the dance floor.

Putting a hand on her waist and taking her other hand in his, they began to sway to the music. He looked down at her feet so tiny in her blue shoes. He could feel her body heat and that vanilla smell drifting into his head.

They moved slowly to the music moving closer to one another until their chests were touching and his lips were near her head. His hand then quite gently moved around her back tighter pulling her fully into his body. The feeling that stirred in him was primal. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes concentrating on not stepping on her feet and not letting go of her hands. As the song came to an end, the overhead lights came on and the magic between them was broken.

She stepped back wide eyed with a hint of fear. She grinned tight lipped and walked back to their table and found her purse.

He followed her there sensing something was wrong.

"Hey, are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" she said looking at her feet.

He lingered waiting for her to look back up at him. She was avoiding eye contact and he sensed something was up but didn't want to push her.

"I had a great time with you tonight Jess."

"Yeah me too Nick. It was nice seeing you again."

What...seeing him again? Dismissal, this was the part where she dismissed him.

He figured he had nothing to lose at this point and he reached down to her chin and tipped it upwards so he could see her face. Her eyes were glistening with tears and she looked like a deer in the headlights.

"Jess, are you sure you're OK. Did I do something wrong" he said perplexed.

"No, you did nothing wrong Nick. It's just well, I am an awful person. I got all caught up tonight seeing you and having fun at a wedding and you were so nice and easy to talk to but Nick, I, I have a boyfriend. A boyfriend that I live with."

Nick was taken aback. He hadn't seen that coming. Never tonight had it crossed his mind she would have a boyfriend but why wouldn't she. Look at her. She was gorgeous.

He looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet trying to regroup his emotions. Reel it in Miller.

"Oh, yeah, sure. No problem. It was just really nice to talk to someone at this thing. They can be so boring. It was nice talking to you Jess."

She smiled up at him again and leaned up on her tippy toes, kissing his cheek slowly and softly. She whispered "thank you" before she turned and walked out of the ballroom.


	4. Chapter 4

She hesitated outside the door. It was chilly outside and if she hung out there more, she was gonna end up with cold toes. Smoothing her dress down in the front and fiddling with her purse for the umpeenth time, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

The smell of cleaning solutions and alcohol wafted up to her nose and she hurriedly tried to adjust her eyes to the dim light. There weren't many people in the bar but enough to blend in a bit, she hoped.

She checked her watch again thinking she was too early to meet Cece. They had said Happy Hour. Suddenly panicking at what time that actually meant, she closed her eyes and double checked her memory. Yes, Happy Hour does begin at four o'clock. OK, whew, everything is going to be OK Jess.

Eyes now adjusted she saw an empty booth and headed for it before anything happened that might make her bolt. A waitress came by and asked what she wanted. Jess tried to look slyly over to the bar to see if there was a cute bartender but alas, she only saw an unfamiliar face.

"Sure, can I get a white wine please?"

"Just a sec hon" the waitress said leaving her a coaster and a menu.

She hoped Cece got their soon as she didn't really want to think too much about why she chose this place over any others. The reality was, she was looking for him. Totally. She hadn't stopped thinking about him since the wedding. In fact the wedding might be the reason she was now living on Cece's couch. It had started a tidal wave of actions that ended with her homeless predicament.

_"So, the wedding was fun."_

_"Yeah, cool."_

_"What did you do tonight?"_

_"A few of us rode down to the Esplanade."_

_"Oh really, who?"_

_"Ugh, nobody you know."_

_"OK, then what?"_

_"What do you mean, then what?"_

_"Well, what did you do that was so great you couldn't go to this wedding with me?"_

_"Jess, you know what I think of weddings. They are just another way for big capitalist greed to cash in on some fantasy the church cooked up to control the poor."_

_"Are you kidding me with this again? I went for my job. My student had a rough time of it this year. I told you that. He needed to see that life can always get better. He needed my support. It is why I am a teacher Spencer!"_

The waitress put her wine down and asked her if she wanted anything else. Jess's mouth opened to say something but no words came out. She wanted to ask if he still worked there but she felt ridiculous. What if he did and this woman told him she was asking about him.

Shaking her head no since words clearly weren't arriving, the waitress turned towards another table. Jess sat and looked at the peanuts on the table. She looked at her wine. Was this it for her. This was her new life. Wine and peanuts and a couch to call her own. If so, this new life sucked.

The door opened and in walked Cece dressed for a nightclub yet it was a Tuesday afternoon. Jess waved her over and they kissed cheeks before Cece took a seat at the booth.

"Hey, you're breaking the rules Jess."

"I know Cece but I didn't feel like sitting at the bar."

"OK, one drink and that's where we are moving. We are completely unaccessible right here."

"Maybe that is what I want tonight."

"Then why did you ask me to meet you here?"

Jess looked down at her hands. Cece saw the vulnerability in her eyes and realized she needed to back off. She waved towards the bartender and mouthed out a beer. He shook his head in recognition and began pouring her one.

After her second wine and some Happy Hour nachos, Jess was feeling more relaxed with being in the bar. Why had she avoided this place for so long? It was comfortable. Like a neighborhood place but without as many drunks.

"Now Jess, can we move to the bar?"

Jess scanned the bar and seeing no signs of the guy from the wedding, she stood up signaling she was ready to move.

"What can I get you two" said the bartender looking more at Cece's cleavage than anything else.

"Jess, what do you want?"

She thought about it for a moment and answered back "a greyhound please".

Cece smiled at her friend and nodded her head. "Alright, we are changing up Happy Hour. I will take a rum and diet coke."

The bartender smiling at Cece a bit longer turned his head sideways and asked "you seem so familiar, do you come in here a lot?"

"No, but I model so lots of people think they know me because they've seen my photos."

"Oh, maybe that is it. I'm Bob by the way" putting his hand out to shake Cece's hand.

"Hi Bob, Cece" she said awkwardly as she put her hand out as well. "This is my friend Jess."

"Hey Jess, nice to meet you. Anyway, my shift is almost up so those drinks are on the house. You ladies have a nice night. My buddy Nick will look after you in just a few minutes."

Cece smiled at Bob and waited until he was out of earshot and then turned and looked at Jess. "That was weird."

"Cece, I need to go home right now. We need to leave." She was collecting her purse and beginning to get up.

"Jess, hey, what's the matter with you? You are so skittish tonight." Cece stopped for a moment and looked long and hard at her friend. Her hands were clenched together in her lap. Her eyes were staring at her feet, mouth in a tight frown, eyebrows crinkled together. Jess was even holding her breath. "Jess, why are we here?"

"OK, I kind of didn't tell you but I was just hoping to see someone here."

"Who did you hope to see here? Please don't tell me Spencer is supposed to be here tonight because if I see that little hemp bar, I swear I am gonna punch him in his nose ring."

"No, it's not him. It's a guy that works here. As a bartender. We met him a long time ago."

"Jess, he probably doesn't work here anymore."

"Cece, his name is Nick. That guy just said his buddy Nick was gonna take care of us."

"Oooooh, now I get it. Wow, you remember that guy from all those years ago?"

"Yeah, I know it's a bit desperate. I feel stupid and now I want to go. Come on" she said as she hoisted her purse onto her shoulder."

"No way Jess, I am staying. We are seeing this thing through. I remember that guy. He flirted with you all night. He wanted you. This is perfect. Total rebound guy."

"Cece, I left him my number and he never called."

"Well, that was a long time ago."

"Maybe I haven't quite told you everything. I kind of saw him another time too."

"When did you see him Jess?" Cece looked at her friend deeply so she couldn't wriggle her way out of the answer.

"Um, I saw him at this wedding I went to. He was actually sitting next to me. We had a few drinks, we chatted, it was nice. But I was with Spencer and that is all that happened."

"Wait, didn't you tell me once he gave you a ride home as well?"

"Yeah, he did, in college."

"Are you telling me that you have had near misses with this guy since college?"

Jess smiled to herself still looking at her hands. "Yeah, I am. But it isn't a big deal Cece. He's just really nice and easy to talk to." More than easy to talk too she thought.

Jess could see someone was now standing in front of her behind the bar.

Taking a deep breath she looked up from her hands, up his black t-shirt shirt and right into his light brown eyes that she watched, stared into, locked into. She watched him register who she was. She watched as his eyes turned up at the edges, as his mouth opened slightly and then moved so slowly into one giant smile. That smile she had remembered too many times. Oh my, she thought, I'm in trouble.

_Warning #1_: I'm not sure where this is going. But it's distracting and fun, wee. _Warning #2_: I can't actually promise you anything, just the fact that there will be evenings that I need to stress-write and this may just be my muse. Warning _#3_: I am totally avoiding writing the prequal to The Open Road because I feel a lot of pressure. Hence, this little ditty. Warning #4: Asking for reviews feels icky. So thank you to those that write them. Warning #5: I just discovered Pride and Prejudice fanfic so brb...


	5. Chapter 5

Damnit. Damnit damnit damnit damnit was all he could think. His hands on the bar, eyes locked on her, breath gone almost gasping for air. Why in the world was she sitting at his bar looking like that?

Say something dumbass. Anything, just stop staring and enter the world of the cool easy going bartender you pretend to be. Crap, now she's smiling back. How many times had he thought about her smile. Could it actually have been this good in his memory? He wasn't sure he even remembered what she looked like until just now. She was this gorgeous. Yes, she was.

"Hi" said her friend sitting next to her. A puma, total puma. Turn your head Nick, look at the puma.

"Hi there. Do you guys need anything?"

"No, we're good. Bob got us these before he left" she said pointing to their drinks.

Nick turned his head back to the girl with the eyes. "Yeah, he did" halfheartedly mumbled under his breath while he stared at her.

"Hi" she said. He heard her say it. She was speaking to him and he was trying to swallow. He closed his eyes for a bit longer than a blink and took a deeper breath than normal. Here we go.

"Hey you. Good to see you again."

"Yeah, I didn't know if you still worked here. I guess you do."

"It's hard to beat the crappy hours and nightly jackasses I get to work with. It keeps me coming back for more." How pathetic could he make himself out to be.

Was it just him or was their like nobody else at the bar? He kind of felt like nobody else was there but that couldn't be. Right? Her eyes were magnets right now and he was powerless.

Forcing himself to look at the ground and regroup, he tightened his grip on the bar and grinned back at the two of them turning to check on other customers, knocking twice before he left.

"Just let me know if you need anything else" he said walking away...trying his absolute hardest to act casual.

Cece waited until he was gone and leaned over to Jess "whoa, he has it bad."

"No Cece, I'm telling you, he's just really nice."

"OK Jess, OK. He's nice and smitten."

Jess scrunched up her face. "Did you just say smitten?"

"Yeah, I don't know what to call that. That eye candy thing between the two of you. Sweet on sweet."

"OK Cece, can we go now?"

"Why would we leave now Jess? He's here. You wanted to come here and see him. We are sitting at the bar. You're drinking a grown up drink and he keeps looking over at you."

"Yeah." Jess was watching him, noticing him looking back her way, a lot. She felt so insecure. Her belly felt tight, her chest was beating ridiculously hard. She was so uncomfortable right now. What did she think she was doing here? She looked desperate.

There was only one thing to do..."can you get me another greyhound?" She held up the one in her hand shaking it a bit then downed it in one gulp. His eyes got a bit rounder and then grinning, he nodded and grabbed her a glass.

Three yummy grapefruit drinks in, she was now holding up her head with her hand, elbow on the bar, grinning at Nick with lids half closed. She needed to go home so bad. Where was Cece now? She had left a little bit ago to talk to someone in a booth and left her there, drunk.

"Alright beautiful, you look like you need some water and here, have some popcorn."

"You just called me beautiful" she giggled at him realizing she really couldn't hold her head up on its own that well.

Nick smiled back at her leaning over the bar, arms tucked under his chest. "Yeah, I did" he whispered back.

Her face and neck turned red and she wished she could but she was so afraid of moving her head.

"Hey, I have a question for you" she slurred out.

"Shoot, I am an open book."

"Why did you never call me? I left you my phone number. Well, you probably get left a lot of phone numbers I guess. That is what I finally figured out. I mean, you don't have to answer that. It's a stupid question. Nobody really wants to know the answer to that question. It's just you told me I was beautiful, and it seems like sometimes you smile at me and so I was just wondering?"

Oh my, did she just really say all that. Why can't she just shutup and act demure like Cece. Where was Cece anyway? She should not be left alone with this bartender right now because any second he's gonna see what a weirdo she was and this game they were playing would be over.

"Ugh, well, I don't really know why I didn't call. I think I was too scared to call you."

"What were you scared of?"

"I am kind of scared of everything Jess."

"You remember my name?"

He chuckled and looked at his hands. "Yeah, I remember your name. Shirley Temple, white wine, greyhound, teacher, smells like vanilla and lives with her boyfriend."

"Well, one of those is now wrong."

"Really, you don't drink white wine anymore" he smiled and looked back into her eyes, goading her into a grin.

"No, I don't drink Shirley Temples anymore" she said sarcastically. They paused, "Yeah, I'm lying. No more living with the boyfriend. Shirley Temples are just too good to ever say no to."

He took that as his cue to fix her one to go with her popcorn. "So no more boyfriend or no more living with a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, no more boyfriend. All gone, bye bye."

"Was this recent?"

"You could say that. Like last week."

"Whoa, that's recent" he said quietly. "You seem to be doing pretty good then if you're already hitting Happy Hour."

"I think it was over a long time ago but I didn't see it until well, until the wedding actually."

Leaning over the bar closer to her, he listened. She couldn't tell if he was really interested because her senses took over as soon as his warm brown eyes got that close to her face. Breathing deeper and trying to focus on his eyes she felt her heart beat in her chest, thuthump thuthump.

"The wedding, yes I remember the wedding."

"Yeah, so do I. It was fun. You were...fun."

He chuckled "you're drunk."

Now she turned crimson in color and sat upright. "I am a little. So sorry. I, I am just waiting for my friend. Sorry." She stood up from the barstool and began to scan the room for Cece. She spotted her and willed her legs to walk as straight as possible over to the table she was at.

Go Jess, walk. She took two steps and suddenly he was in front of her.

"Whoa, where are you going?"

"Um, I think it is time for me to go home. I'm drunk, you're right."

"No, please don't go" he said quietly. "I really didn't mean to embarrass you. Here, come sit down again." He took her by the elbow and turned her around leading her back to the barstool. "I say the dumbest stuff sometimes."

"I have that same problem. My whole life I have been the queen of saying dumb stuff."

He looked at her for a long time. Not saying anything at all but just staring at her.

"Look, since we are talking about saying dumb stuff right now and because you're drunk and maybe won't remember this anyway, I was just wondering if well, if you would go out with me sometime."

She leaned her head against her hand again and smiled glistening eyes up at him. "Yeah, I would go out with you."

"Great, uh, how about Saturday night?"

"I have no plans. That sounds great."

"Alright, good."

He turned and returned to washing glasses glancing over at her and winking when she looked up at him.

She bit her lip watching him and wishing Saturday night wasn't so far away.

**This is the part where I ask for reviews. Not gonna do that this time. Instead I am gonna say HEY, how about that Jake Johnson. Whew, hottietomatotie, eh?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you Lenaguffi...sorry it isn't longer. I have some other stories cooking that needed some attention. Plus, I had planned on this story ending at Chapter 5 but so many of you wrote asking for more, what can I say, I'm a sucker for women in need! **

Nick getting home from an early shift, felt the weight of his week on his shoulders as he entered the loft. He knew his weekend was going to be a lot of hanging out drinking beer, which sounded fine by him. He had plans to sleep in and maybe clean up his room. Yeah, it felt good to be home. However, what he wanted to do more than anything was to make sure his date was on for Saturday night with The Girl.

Opening his desk drawer, he found her phone number still on the napkin. Stupidly, he had forgotten to ask for it when he asked her out and he was feeling a bit panicked that this old number wouldn't work.

Now the true question was...to call or text? He was so tired from work he decided on texting so he wouldn't make an ass of himself on the phone.

_Hey Jess, it's Nick, from the bar. Are we still on for tomorrow night?_

He was suddenly nervous she would change her mind or this wouldn't be her number. Leaving his room he walked to the kitchen to grab a beer. Nobody appeared home and he felt antsy wishing one of the guys was around.

_Hi Nick. Yes, I was planning on it. What are we doing?_

Crap, he hadn't thought of that yet. He had hoped to ask one of the guys what he should do. She was different then the others and hanging at a bar for the night wasn't gonna be enough.

_What would you like to do?_

_Well, we've done a wedding and the bar. So maybe something different._

_Alright, how about I pick you up at the pier at seven tomorrow night?_

_Sounds good. C U there._

Suddenly quite exhilerated, he felt a jolt of energy. He had an idea but was worried about what he wanted to do next. Without thinking much about it he grabbed his phone again.

_Jess, what are you doing right now?_

_Reading a book on my couch/bed. Why?_

_Well, any chance you want to meet me right now?_

_Now?_

_Yeah, I know. Forget about it. I just had nothing going on right now and it crossed my mind. I will see you tomorrow night. No worries._

_Wait. I'm not doing anything right now. Do you have something in mind?_

_"I'm hungry."_

_"Haha, me too."_

_"OK, I know this diner on Vine street that has amazing french fries."_

_"You mean Florence Grill?"_

_"Yeah, totally. You've been there?"_

_"I have. Sounds good."_

_"Ok, I can be there in half an hour. Wanna meet me there?"_

_"Sure. Is this a pre-date? :)"_

_"How about we decide that later."_

_"OK. Be there in half an hour."_

Jess suddenly was running around Cece's apartment grabbing clothes and her hair brush and flinging clothes off her body. "Ahhhhhh" she screamed when she tore her dress she had on trying to get it off.

OK, breathe Jess. Think this through. Start with clothes. You need to wear something casual like for a diner. That would be a short skirt and um, ok, this orange blouse. Someone told you it made your cheeks look pink. OK, now legs. Yes, I shaved my legs this morning. Check. Bra and underwear. OK, they must match. Crap. Where are my good bras. Are they in this box? Yes...ok this purple one. Great, with these underwear that are cute. Done.

Running to the bathroom she brushed her teeth and her hair at the same time. Her hair was down and straight today. Not much I can do to change this scenario she though. Straight it was gonna be.

Checking herself in the mirror she wondered if her orange blouse was too daring. It was a bit low cut for a diner. Should she change? No, she didn't have time to over think this, at all.

Touching up her mascara and lipstick, she was ready to go. Twenty minutes. Not bad Jess.

Texting Cece her plans she grabbed her purse and keys and walked out to her car. She felt nervous as heck but she didn't have time to think about it.

Nick slid into a booth and stared at the menu. He was freaking out right now and worried he had just made a dumb move having her meet him here. It was too late to runaway though. She would be there any minute.

"Hey" she said walking up to the table.

"Wow, hi" he said standing up to see her. "You look...nice."

"Thanks" she said as she slid down the other side of the table.

Nick smiled at her and shook his head a bit at his good luck. She was gorgeous and was here at the diner with him. Wow.

Holding up the menu she nodded "Um, I'm so hungry right now. I think I am going for it. We're talking the full monty."

He laughed at that for a second. "What is the full monty to you Jess?"

"Oh we're talking burger, fries and a shake."

"Alright, then same for me."

"I warn you, this petite bird can put it away so you might want to guard your fries."

"I will most definitely take that warning to heart" he smiled at her flirtatiously.

She hadn't been kidding either. He was amazed that she ate every bite of her food without slowing down. Plates empty, shakes gone they both leaned back and rubbed their bellies in satisfaction.

"I am ridiculously full."

"So am I. Maybe a few miles past full."

They both giggled uncomfortably.

"Wanna go for a walk down by the pier?"

Jess smiled at him. She was having a very fun time. He made her laugh a lot and despite the fact complaining was part of his charm, she liked it. His eyes were warm and sincere and he reminded her of the night at the wedding when they talked for hours. It was easy to sit there talking about work and cars and the other people in the diner. Going to the pier with him sounded great despite the fact she was still nervous around him.

"Yeah, I would love to. Roll me there please because these legs cannot be walking."

Nick stood up at the end of the booth after paying the bill with his hand out for her. She grabbed it and pulled herself up, close to his body. They smiled in their shared space. He didn't let go of her hand as they walked out of the diner.

**I had a burger last night with bacon, cole slaw, battered onions and BBQ sauce on it with a side of french fries that had parmesan cheese and squid ink aioli. So yeah, that happened.**


	7. Chapter 7

Nick headed towards the beach with her hand in his. Petite and soft, he definitely wasn't planning to let it go. It was dark outside and had cooled down quite a bit since the sunset. The streets were emptying of Friday night traffic so the quiet made the dark that more intimate.

Walking casually, they both sometimes would glance over at one another and smile. He wasn't that nervous now. It actually felt more like excitement to him. This girl was different than anyone he had ever met before.

For once he was with a girl that appeared to have no hidden agenda. She was flirtatious but it also seemed as though she wasn't very practiced at it. He liked that, a lot. Having game with women was definitely not a Nick Miller attribute. He left that for his roommate Schmidt.

Looking down at her shoes, she wondered where he was leading her. Right then she didn't really care because she just liked the feel of his hand holding hers. It had been a long time since a man had been so publicly affectionate with her and right now, on this night, it felt magical and filled with possibilities.

"So Jess, what grade do you teach?"

"I teach 2nd grade. The school year is almost over though and there has been talk that I might be teaching something different next year."

"Second grade was hard. I remember my Mom yelling at me about reading a lot that year. I had this teacher named Mrs. Zucchini who would pull me out of class to read special books to me. I think she liked me."

Jess laughed. "First of all, I doubt her name was Mrs. Zucchini." She squeezed his hand and he gave her a smug smile. "Second, yeah, kids having a hard time reading get pulled aside to have books read to them."

He got she was making fun of him. He smirked over at her and saw her eyes dancing with laughter. "Funny lady, you are."

"Yep, that's me. A funny lady. Sometimes maybe a little crazy."

The look in his eyes told Jess he didn't believe her. "How are you crazy?"

"Well, I seem to have always liked things a bit more fun than people around me." She broke his gaze and looked away. Unsure of how much she wanted to reveal. "In high school everyone wanted to act older, and I was always trying to get them to play hopscotch with me or wear barrettes in their hair. I just never got the idea of acting super cool. I ended up being ridiculously dorky."

Nick smiled picturing a teenaged Jess wearing crazy barrettes in her hair "We were all dorks in high school."

She smiled. "Yeah, I've since learned that. At the time though, it wasn't always fun."

They arrived at the beach and Nick let go of her hand to take off his shoes when they hit the sand. Jess was wearing boots and it was kind of hard to get them off. Seing her struggle, Nick bent over and pulled on them while she leaned on his back for balance.

He stood up and handed her back her shoes, pausing. Looking at her he felt it – a moment. A spark. Both sucked in their breaths in anticipation. Nick leaned towards her...

"Brrrng brrrng," the sound of a bike whizzed by them on the path where they stood. They both watched the bike going by at lightening speed. Turning back towards her, he saw it, the moment was lost.

Jess' shoulders slumped. Feeling deflated, she started walking again until her feet touched the water. She was barely able to see the waves in the dark.

Nick's hands were jammed in his pockets as he tried to think of something to say. The quiet didn't feel unnatural to him but he worried a bit that they should be talking more.

Jess loved how cold the water felt lapping against her feet. Jarring her into reality, the cold reminded her that this was a date, and she still could blow it. Fearing her curse would show its ugly head, she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she pushed herself to enjoy the walk quietly down the beach in the dark.

They had walked all the way down to the pier where it became obvious there were some guys underneath it, smoking. Nick noticed first and moved closer to Jess, who seemed oblivious. As they walked under one of them approached Nick.

"Hey man, you got a buck?"

"No, I don't, sorry." Smelling the sourness of someone living a hard life, Nick's hands tightened just a bit in his pockets.

The guy took a drag off his cigarette and when he did, Nick could see his eyes light up from the flame and they were staring right at Jess. She took a step closer to Nick.

He felt tension in the air and loosened his hands in his pockets. Trying to appear casual, he put an arm over Jess's shoulder, while turning her around with him to head to the stairs off the beach. It had only lasted a second, but Nick knew that something had been weird in that moment.

They both quietly walked up the stairs, neither of them saying anything until they came up to the loud amusement park on top.

"What was that all about?" She asked.

"I have no idea, but I didn't like it."

"Yeah, creepy vibe coming off him." She did her best to not look back but noticed his arm was still around her.

"Yeah, he was staring at you for too long. I didn't like it,"

Jess smiled at his protectiveness. "Well Nick, aren't you chilvalrous."

His eyes crinkled at the word and he shook his head chuckling. "Alright crazy lady."

Instantly they were in bright lights with crowds of people playing games trying to win teddy bears and eating corn on the cob. There were strobe lights and dance music pounding around them and distant sounds of screams coming from carnival rides. They both stood in the crowd of people looking around and wondering what to do next.

Nick met her eyes and ever so slightly smiled at the corner of his mouth.

She swallowed, taking in his gaze and crinkled up her own lips upright.

There was a pulse between them, pulling them into one another. His arm unwrapped from her shoulder. He took a small step towards her. His breathing became deeper. Her mouth slightly opened. Her eyes now smiling back at him. Her feet moving a few inches forward.

Reaching up to touch her chin, he pressed his lips against hers, slowly at first before turning his head slightly opening his mouth and flicking his tongue against hers.

Holding her breath at first, she felt his soft lips against hers masking out all noise around them. As his tongue found hers, she moved her hands around his neck tightening her grip as their desire grew.

She tasted so good he was having a hard time pulling away but finally, he did. With his eyes still shut, he calmed his breath down before looking into her eyes again. He found her smiling at him reassuringly.

"So" she said. "Pre-date or is this our date?"

"I don't care what you call it but I would still very much like to take you out tomorrow night" he said intensely. He meant it. Actually, he wanted to take her home right now and the idea was spinning in his head of bringing it up. She was different though, he knew that.

_He needed to go slow with her._

Grinning a big goofy grin, she let go of his neck and stepped back looking at the ground. "I would like that too," she said meeting his eyes again. "Yeah, I would like that."

**If you haven't read my companion piece Lovin' Forty yet, this is where you might really want to start watching both. They are about to collide!**

** I have a few other tricks up my sleeve as well so pay attention if you see any new stories from Mayalala;)**


	8. Chapter 8

Nick woke up nervous, or was it excitement? He couldn't tell. Last night had been fantastic. He had sat up half the night thinking about her. The Girl. She was beautiful. When he had kissed her on the pier it was just like what people say when your life flashes before your eyes but for him, it was this girl flashing before him, in his life.

It had taken quite a bit of inner strength to not ask her to come back to the loft with him because he was pretty sure that she would have said yes. Both of them were frazzled on the way back to their cars holding hands and touching each other whenever they were at a red light waiting for a cross signal. He must have kissed her a half dozen times in that one mile.

Walking her to her car, keys in her hand, she stood on her tippy toes to meet his lips and wrapped her body around his like a glove. Her tongue was in his mouth and her breathing was labored. He pushed her up against her door and felt his hips involunterily push into her body. "Oh god" he had thought to himself. I have got to leave this parking lot before I try to do her up against this Volvo.

He came home and showered for a very long time. Shaking his head in the water at how his body felt like it had electricity running through it, he wondered how he was going to possibly get through a date with her tonight without messing it up by grabbing at her like a horny teenager.

"No, I get it Jess, change is hard. I think you should try the silky boy shorts though. They look the best with your white bra" Cece said sitting on her bed watching Jess try on lingerie.

"'I'm just not sure I'm a boy short kind of gal. I'm traditional. Although maybe I should mix things up in my life. Looking back on the last six years makes me want to do something crazy now that my life is free."

"Yeah, like going home with this guy tonight" Cece said with a wink to her friend. "Rebound sex is so hot. It's like all of the anger you feel towards Spencer comes out of you like you're an animal."

"That was definitely happening last night. Nick is an amazing kisser. We are talking full body kissing. He could have done anything to me and I would have been good with it. I know he could see my nipples through my blouse after he kissed me and I didn't even care. But, I'm not sure he's a rebound kind of guy. He's very sweet. I don't want to hurt him."

"Well, maybe he will be more than a rebound guy. Are you ready for something like that?"

Jess thought about having a new boyfriend so soon after her break-up. She also thought about his hands on her body last night and the way he had put his arm around her when those guys under the pier walked up to him. "I have no idea Cece. I think I am just not gonna think much about what I'm doing for a bit. Try to be free and go with the flow for once in my life."

Cece smiled at her friend. She had wanted that for Jess for a long time. "That sounds like a great idea Jess. Just have fun tonight and don't worry about what might happen tomorrow."

Jess had carefully handwashed her new dress and hung it on the deck to dry. Cece loaned her some earrings to go with it and Jess had decided on some silver heels she wore last Christmas.

Jess needed to hear Cece's encouraging words. She was nervous. Very nervous. It had been a long time since she had been intimate with a new person. Taking a deep breath and gathering her suitcases and bags of clothes, she put them in the corner again.

"Alright, time to get ready" Jess said heading for the shower.

She grabbed a new razor from the bag she had left on the counter and walked into the steamy water. The shower was lined with containers of hair and skin products at every turn. Models needed a lot of "stuff" to keep them in top form for the camera. For Jess, it was like shopping. She needed something to shave her legs with and something special for her hair.

Satisfied with a job well done despite three razor cuts to her legs, she hopped out of the shower and wrapped in a bath towel opening the door to Cece's bedroom. Walking out to grab her make-up bag, she totally tripped on a jewelry box on the ground and went flying across the room hitting her knee on the bedframe.

"Owww" she yelled grabbing her knee. She looked down at the now turning blue flesh and noticed it was bleeding slightly. "Oh my god" she thought. Her dress was above the knee and now she was going to have this giant bruise as a decoration. "You've got to be kidding me". She surveyed the razor cuts as well and her legs looked like she had hiked through blackberry bushes instead of preparing for a date.

Limping back to the bathroom with her bag, she thought about last night. His hands on her hips, squeezing her towards his body. It made her skin prickly remembering his mouth on hers so soft and demanding. She was surprised she hadn't suggested they head back somewhere with a bed because it had crossed her mind the entire walk back from the beach.

Nick was kind to her. She saw how sweet he was at the beach. Jess had never been lucky enough in love to have someone be protective of her or thoughtful. This guy seemed different then other men she had dated albeit she hadn't dated that many.

Taking a brush to her hair she noticed that it felt weird. Like greasy. She looked closer at the roots and realized it was still greasy. Had she forgotten to rinse the conditioner out of her hair? Grabbing the bottle of conditioner she read it again and realized it said deep conditioner. Hugh, turning it over she then read the WARNING: This product is intended for overnight use and may require multiple rinses.

What? Jess grabbed her phone to check the time. Multiple rinses! No. She didn't have time. Turning the shower on again, she jumped in and began searching the multiple shampoo bottles surrounding her as one by one they began to fall off the shelves and cascade onto her feet. The water was turning cold as she had emptied the tank earlier with her leg shaving.

Head in cold water now, washing and scrubbing with every shampoo she could find, the hoped she could get out the oily substance in her hair before too long.

Nick drank a beer sitting on the couch of his loft. It was quiet and he wished someone was home right now. The TV was on but he wasn't paying any attention to it. He could hear the laundry in the background filled earlier with his bedsheets in hopes he was bringing someone home tonight. A cute dark haired, blue eyed sexy someone.

He sat remembering the feel of her skin when he caressed her back. It had been so soft that it felt as if he actually wasn't touching anything at all. Smooth and silky, warm and light. His body shuddered as he thought again about how that would feel naked under him. His face turned warm and he rubbed at his stubble breathing in deeply in an attempt to erase the image before his pants tightened.

Jess was now in full panic mode. She was trying to blow dry her hair to no avail. Her hair sat flat against her head and her eyes filled with tears. It looked as though she hadn't washed it for two weeks! Cece had already left for the night and not knowing what else to do, she pulled it all back into a bun at the back of her head. Running out of time, she had to get dressed and get the last of her make-up on.

Walking out onto the back deck where she had left her dress, she felt better when the fresh air hit her nostrils. She took a few deep breaths in hopes it would lighten the mood she was diving into. Reaching up for her dress, now dry from its afternoon wash, she held it up in the light to see the beautiful color again.

That's when she saw it. Suddenly cringing with a horrified gasp shrieking out of her mouth. "Nooooooooo" she yelled as she saw the giant bird shit on the back of the dress. It was huge. Like an albatross had crapped out a salmon. "No, no, no no, this isn't happening, this isn't happening" she cried.

Nick sat at the restaurant bar downing another beer. He had been waiting for half an hour and had already had a shot and a beer. "Slow down" he said to himself. She would show up. Maybe she got lost, he thought.

He asked the barkeep for some water and checked his phone again to see if there were any messages. Finding none, he took a bigger swig of beer and began wondering how long he should wait before he looked like a complete schmuck.

Jess sat in her car turning the key repeatedly hoping it would start. It wouldn't budge. Why is this happening, she thought. Why!

Her phone was dead, her car was dead, her hair was greasy, her dress was wet and still had residual bird shit on it and her knee throbbed from the swollen and skinned up knee. This was not going as planned, at all.

Finally giving up, she headed back up to the apartment and searched for her phone charger. She was so frazzled she couldn't remember where she had left it amongst all of the bags and boxes that her current life lived in. She had to tell Nick why she was late and figure out a way to get to the restaurant and try to salvage this night.

After an hour, Nick finally paid his bill and headed out to his car. The disappointment he felt in his chest was painful. He really had thought they had something going last night. Maybe he had just misread the signals. His texts were left on his phone unanswered. Whatever the reason, he would get over it. He could get over her. Rejection was just part of his life. For now though, he probably shouldn't drive after all the beers and he turned and began the long walk home.

Jess searched everywhere in the apartment and could not find the phone charger. By now tears were rolling down her face as she pictured Nick sitting at the bar waiting for her. He was probably gone and quite frankly, she didn't blame him. She could think of nothing else to do but sit on the couch and close her eyes. Maybe the universe was trying to tell her something. Maybe she just wasn't quite ready for a new relationship.

Opening her eyes again, she saw her charger under the chair across the room. While waiting for her phone to get enough charge to call Nick she looked around Cece's living room. There were boxes in every corner, shoes stuffed under tables. She had to get her life in order. This was ridiculous.

Her phone beeped she had texts. She braced herself to deal with this the best she could.

_Jess, I am sitting in the bar. Are you still coming?_

_Hey, I'm feeling kind of stupid but we did agree on meeting at Beso, right?_

_OK, well, I'm heading out._

She had to call him. Nervously dialing his number he answered on the first ring.

"Hey."

"Nick, I'm so sorry. My car wouldn't start and my phone was dead and I hurt my knee and oh my god, this sounds like a bunch of excuses. I'm so sorry you had to wait for me there."

"Yeah, it's OK, no problem. I get it" he said slightly slurred.

"What do you get?"

"Whatever Jess. It's no big deal. I ran into an old friend of mine and we have moved down to another bar."

"Oh, OK. I was gonna ask you to come pick me up but OK."

She sat through the pause, biting her bottom lip. Waiting for his response.

"Um, yeah, maybe another time. Have a good night Jess."

Her phone went dead. Her jaw dropped at his response. Her eyes filled with tears.

Jess sat on the couch not knowing what to think. "Shit" she yelled out loud! Shit, shit, shit!

What had just happened? How had she ruined this thing with him, again?

She laid down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Her life was in shambles. She couldn't find her underwear half the time, she was living on a couch and now she just ruined the best thing she did have going. Tears began rolling down her face at alarming speed.

_What_ now?

**It ain't over roomfriends! I promise you. Now go read Lovin' Forty.**


	9. Chapter 9

Nick sat leaning against the bar reading his book before the Happy Hour crowd showed up. A few groups of people were already in booths and tables but the big groups hadn't arrived yet. He was startled by a knock on the bar. Looking down he saw a puma staring back at him, smiling.

"What can I get you?" walking towards her, eyebrows perked in question.

"A whiskey sour please" she said smiling at him, knowingly.

She looked familiar but he couldn't place her. Obviously a model but maybe a regular here or had he met her somewhere else?

"You seem familiar, do you come in here a lot?"

"No, but I have been in here a few times over the years" she said coyly.

"Alright, well would you like me to start you a tab?"

"Sure, that would be great." She handed him a credit card he scanned and noticed her name, Cece. Nope, he didn't know a Cece.

Going back to his book his mind wandered to why that woman made him a bit nervous, besides the fact she was gorgeous. Had something happened he didn't remember? Not with her specifically because he would have never forgotten that. She wasn't his type really. But still, he wouldn't have forgotten.

Looking back at her he caught her staring at him again. It unsettled him a bit and he frowned returning to Detective Jack Starr fighting Ninjas in the jungles of Malaysia.

Now the crowd was hopping and the bar was packed. Nick, washing glasses, heard that familiar tap of the puma knocking on the counter. He looked back towards her signaling with his chin he would be there in a second.

"Hey, another whiskey sour?"

"Yeah, that would be great" she said. Gazing at him for a moment too long she finally spoke up. "You don't remember me, do you?"

Nick chuckled and looked down at his hands. "I have been trying to figure out your face all night. Sorry, I don't remember."

"I am a friend of Jess. We've come in here together a few times."

The mention of her name turned his body into a cold sweat. He skipped a breath then gulped for a little air. Thoughts of The Girl raced through his mind.

Looking back up at her trying to be as cool as a cucumber he answered "Oh yeah, now I remember. How you doing?"

"Fine" she clipped back quickly.

They stood staring at one another as she waited for him to ask how Jess was. He didn't.

"So, how is your summer going" she asked to fill in the void.

"Ugh, it's all the same for me. I never see the sun in this joint."

"Yeah, occupational hazard I suppose."

"It is, it is."

"So, are you gonna ask how Jess is" she asked point blank.

His face visibly changed and hardened on the edges, just a bit. Enough for her to notice.

"Yeah, how is Jess doing? I haven't seen her in awhile."

"So I heard" she said watching as his face darken a shade of red. "She's doing good. Really good. She is actually in Greece right now for the summer."

He stopped moving his hand on the counter and looked back up at her. "Greece? Why is she in Greece?"

"She just felt like she needed a change and her friend invited her to the island of Crete for the summer."

"Wow, that's some friend. She hadn't mentioned she was leaving for the summer."

"Yeah, it was a spontaneous decision. Things weren't going well for her." She watched his eyes carefully. Regret flicked over his face as he closed his eyes for a moment too long.

"I have definitely felt like that before."

She could see he was avoiding eye contact now.

"Alright, I'm gonna get back to my friends. Thanks" she said grabbing her drink and turning towards the tables.

"Yeah, no problem." His mind raced for a moment. "Ugh. Hey, tell Jess I said Hi if you talk to her or whatever."

Cece turned back towards him. "I will do that... Nick, is that right, your name is Nick?"

"Yeah, tell Jess Nick said hello."

"Will do Nick. Take it easy."

Nick swallowed deeply when she finally walked away. His hands were a bit shaky reliving the shame he felt after handling that last phone call with her so poorly. Ugh, he was such an idiot.

_Hey Girl. I was finally able to organize my schedule with my manager. I think I might be able to actually make it over there for this "sunflower festival". Which btw, what the hell is that? _

_Anyway, lemme know if all is OK on your end, and I will buy my ticket! I have never been to Greece before. Sounds sexy._

_Btw, I ran into a friend of yours the other night. A cute bartender? Yeah, that's the one. He didn't remember me but I brought up your name and his whole body changed. He got nervous. It seemed like he felt really bad about what happened between the two of you. I told him you were in Greece and he seemed a little disappointed. He wanted me to pass on a "hi" from him. That ain't over Jess, at all._


	10. Chapter 10

**I would never have finished this story if it wasn't for the ass kicking of my good friend Jenn. Everyone should have one.  
**

**The Last Chapter...**

"That is the one Jess, you look so hot in it," Cece said.

"You think? I feel a little, um, I don't know, exposed," Jess said twirling in a circle, fanning out the skirt of her new white dress. "You don't think this might be a little too much," she said sticking her hand down her cleavage for emphasis.

"That is the perfect dress for where we are going tonight."

Jess sighed out loud "Cece, I'm still kinda feeling jet lagged, and I was all over town today looking at apartments. I don't want to put a damper on your party but I may want to leave early."

She did feel tired but mainly she felt lost. Since returning from Greece a few days ago, she felt more like a visitor to her old life. Her travels had changed her. Clinging to routines for familiarity, she was only going through the motions but feeling nothing in a surreal environment.

"Look, we are just going to go out and have fun, celebrate your return. It's the grand opening of this new club and I can get us in for free. If you want to leave early, sobeit. Lets just have fun until then, OK?"

Plastering a fake smile across her face, she took a deep breath, "OK, fun, celebrating, got it, lets do this, I'm in Cece." She slipped her shoes on as she touched up her lipstick and grabbed her purse.

The club was louder and brighter than she had expected. There were different dance floors encircling a center sunken bar with giant gold cages in each corner, filled with women and men gyrating on poles. Strobe lights, sirens and the smell of product shocked her senses lulled from a summer on the Mediterranean Sea. She instantly longed for her flannels and strawberry ice cream.

Cece found them a couple of barstools and Jess watched as her friend was immediately flanked by what looked like other models carrying on about who had arrived and what big shots were sitting where. She scanned the room noticing how young the crowd was drinking long stemmed cocktails while casually flirting over bouncing bass. She didn't belong here.

A few somewhat familiar faces from past trips to clubs with Cece popped up but nobody that she recognized enough to have a conversation with.

"Jess, you ready," Cece asked?

"For what," she wondered, somewhat terrified, searching her brain as to whether she had volunteered to dance in a cage or not.

"To dance sweetie, come on, lets do this," Cece said pulling her out to the packed dance floor.

Nick meanwhile, sat on the couch nervously checking his watch every minute while fidgeting with the remote. He was waiting for his phone to ring or a text at least. He was uncomfortable in his new tshirt and jeans but he wanted to look good tonight. Finally, his screen lit up.

_OK, we're ready, you?_

_Yeah, meet you there...inside or out?_

_Inside, near the bar._

_Got it, will be there._

Taking a moment to calm his nerves, he grabbed his car keys and headed out the door.

Jess returned to her bar stool and drink, a little out of breath and sweaty. "Cece, thanks for dragging me out tonight, this is better than the couch."

"Yeah it is. How are you doing tonight. You having fun?"

"I am, yeah, I am," Jess said, almost convincingly.

She noticed Cece scanning the room, looking for someone. Cece knew people, lots of people. Jess knew she was probably looking for familiar faces. Catching a smile cross Cece's lips as she recognized someone, Jess decided to give her a break.

"Go ahead Cece, I'm fine here. Go have fun."

"You sure doll? I'm just gonna be right over there if you need me, OK? Just hand signal or something, I will come right back."

Jess nodded her head reassuringly and added a "thanks doll" for emphasis.

Now alone on her barstool, she leaned back against the hard glass bar and watched men seeking their prey, waiting for the moment they would pounce offering to buy a woman a drink or share a funny line to break the ice. She giggled a bit to herself thinking how hard it must be for men to try and make meaningful connections with women in a place that felt like it was one step away from a 90's music video. She kept wondering why she was even there.

"Hey there beautiful," she heard coming from Cece's empty barstool.

Head planted firmly ahead, she didn't turn. She knew this voice, it was familiar and instantly made her chest tighten with nerves and her stomach lunge. Closing her eyes, feeling the adrenaline pump through her body she took one deep breath, and exhaled slowly inching her head sideways to find his warm brown eyes smiling back at her.

"Nick."

She stared at him with those giant eyelash rimmed orbs, glowing under the soft club lights with darkened flawless skin under her sexy white dress. Nick felt consumed for a moment, lost in her face, remembering what her soft cheeks felt like.

"Wow," he whispered breathless, taking all of her in from head to toe like a starstruck teenager. "Jess, you look great. How are you?"

He leaned towards her as they did a polite hug, soapy sweetness mixed with summer lotions radiated from her neck, instantly capturing his affections.

"I'm good," she said beaming back at him. "I'm good Nick."

Their eyes lingered on one another, both remembering their own versions of the last time they spoke. Her jaw tightened feeling rejected, him breaking their gaze to look down at his shoes in shame.

Forcing himself to look back at her, he knew he had to do this or he would always regret letting her slip through his fingers again. "How was Greece Jess?"

"Yah, it was pretty good. I just got back a few days ago actually. I'm still feeling the jet lag and my life is a bit of a mess but it'll be OK." She wanted so badly to tell him how she felt deep down, lost and confused. She wanted so badly to have his arms wrapped around her, telling her it was gonna get better.

She took a sip of her wine, licking her lips after, challenging Nick to concentrate on her eyes.

Looking around at guys with slick hair and perusing eyes, she wondered why he was here. Neither one of them fitting in. "Nick, what are you doing at a place like this? It doesn't really seem like you."

He'd been caught. This was something _they_ had not talked about actually. "Um, I don't know, I just felt like coming out tonight, and I saw you sitting up here all by yourself." He cringed inwardly feeling his lame excuse settling between them like morning fog.

She smiled regardless, turning her head back to the crowd of dancers and sighing loudly.

"You OK," he asked.

"Yes, I'm just a bit tired. I had a terrible day looking at apartments all over town. They were either postage stamp size or the roommates were creepy men willing to trade sex for rent." She knew her nervousness was making her babble but she could think of nothing else to talk about. The awkward pauses were making her more confused, more emotional, tears bubbling to the surface.

"That doesn't sound good," he said absently, focusing more on the man lurking nearby in a blue button down and slacks, checking Jess out while whispering to friends.

"I am hoping to solve this problem soon because I start school next week, and I just need to put down some roots before I lose my mind living out of boxes on a couch."

Moving in front of her now, hoping to make his presence known to the dark haired punk ogling her, he inadvertently said "we have a room in our loft we are trying to rent out."

"You do?"

Shaking his head slightly trying to back up the conversation that just happened, the full impact of which then came down on his shoulders.

"Yeah, we do. I think my roommate had it on Craigslist but took it down after we had interviewed too many weirdos." What was he doing? This is not how tonight was supposed to go. He was supposed to take her back to _his _room tonight.

"Well, maybe if you guys change your mind, you could call me," she said moving her hair behind her ears and readjusting her dress nervously. "Unless you couldn't handle that Nick. Maybe it's too weird?"

Taking a swig from his beer, he stammered back, eyeing the guy who looked like he might bust in with a move, "No, no problem at all, I could handle that."

Cece siddled up to them then, "Hey Nick," she said a bit tipsy Jess thought.

"Hi Cece," Nick replied glancing over at Jess, checking her eyes for clues.

There was a pause, too long of a pause.

"Wait, you two know eachother?"

"Jess, remember I told you, I saw him at the bar when you were in Greece."

"Yeah, you told me you ran into him, not that you knew him," she said a bit accusatory.

"Sweetie," Cece said leaning over to Jess, noticing her eyes looked tense, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong Cece," Jess replied looking at Nick now who had shoved his hands in his pockets and was shifting his feet around nervously.

"Wait, wait a second," she said bringing up a finger to Cece's chest, realization slapping her in the face. "Did you? Did you set this up Cece? Did you tell Nick to meet me here?" Hints of betrayal flickered across her face.

"Jess, it was for your own good. You would have never gone back to that bar and I know you wanted to see him again," the last of her words tumbling out as she put her hand to her mouth, realizing what she had just said out loud.

Jess's face flushed instantly from embarrassment as Nick looked away trying to save her from more uncomfortableness. He took a swig from his beer clueless what he should do next.

"Cece, you know about Nikolas and you promised fun tonight, remember?"

"Yeah, I know sweetie. But may I remind you that Nikolas is currently 6,000 miles away? So, go have fun Jess."

"Argh, Cece." Jess stood up from the bar, grabbed her purse, giving one last angry nod to her friend then headed straight out the front door.

Nick stood there staring into Cece's eyes, trying to control the anger in his voice."You gonna tell me who the greek guy is?"

"He's nobody Nick, just somebody she hooked up with for the summer. He lives there, he's not here."

"Don't you think you should have said something?"

"Why, were you gonna propose tonight?"

"Harsh Cece" he said, shaking his head and draining his beer.

"Sorry Nick. Please, will you just go after her. She doesn't have a way home and I'm meeting some friends here soon. She'll be OK, she's just jet lagged and feeling sensitive."

Nick stood there for a moment, remembering how he had handled that fateful phone call the night of their date. He had blown her off as if the night on the pier had meant nothing to him. He had agreed to come tonight to make up for it and this was not a moment for him to lose his resolve. Throwing some bills down on the bar, he turned quickly, rushing out to find her in the crowd.

Jess stood on the corner waiting for a taxi to drive by. Embarrassed and confused, she stood up straighter when she noticed him walking towards her with his hands shoved in his pockets still, his chest slumped in defeat

"Hey," he said softly, seeking her eyes for some reassurance he should be there, that she wanted him there.

Turning towards him in the dim street light, she really looked at him for the first time tonight. His curly hair was somewhat more styled than she had seen at the bar, his black tshirt strained across his shoulders, soft moist lips turned downward in a worried frown. Memories flooded her senses, arms around her waist, his hips pushing her up against her car. Heat flooded her chest and she bit her lip trying to refocus on this moment. Yeah, I remember you, she thought. Her stomach fluttered again, I definitely remember you.

"Hi," she shyly responded. "Nick, I'm really sorry about this. That Cece made you do this. I'm so embarrassed right now I could melt into this sidewalk."

A distant memory of Cece leaving her number for Nick on the bar returned to Jess, remembering he had never called her.

"I tend to have a lot of weird awkward moments with you so this just seems par for the course."

Nick saw her eyes filling with tears and he wanted to grab her, hug her and make all of this go away. But he couldn't. He was disappointed too. Hoping tonight would bring them back to the pier, the parking lot, anything from that night, but instead, here they were standing on a street corner, neither of them knowing what to do. He had lost his chance with her _again_. He had the worst timing.

"Jess, let me give you a ride home. It's the least I can do. I didn't mean for this to embarrass you at all." He wanted to tell her how many times he had thought about her this summer. "To be honest with you, I would have tried to call you if I had known you were in town."

"Really, but you blew me off last time," she said confused.

"Yeah, I did, you're right. I'm an idiot. What can I say? Seriously though, let me drive you home, OK?"

Jess looked around at the empty streets, knowing she wasn't gonna find a cab anytime soon and decided he was her best option to getting closer to her pajamas.

"Yeah, sure, thanks."

Nick pulled up in front of Cece's apartment complex and killed the engine. Glancing over at her nervously, he planted his eyes back on his steering wheel, fists tight. He remembered driving her home once before, the night they had first met. They were so young then. She had a bow in her hair and a boyfriend. Now she was all woman, gorgeous and sexy and yet again, she still had a boyfriend. He couldn't walk away from her though. Something about her, she was special and he knew it.

"Um, so I meant it about the apartment Jess. You should come look at it. It's a loft with a rooftop, it's pretty cool. I think you'd like it."

"Nick, don't you think it would be weird though?"

"What, cuz we made out one night," he laughed nervously.

"Yeah, and we have history, kinda."

"Well, I think we could do it and at least now we know where we stand."

"Where is that Nick?"

"Friends," he said putting out his hand for her to shake.

She frowned a bit, not knowing if he meant it but she took his hand in hers anyway and shook. "Ok Nick, friends. That's what we are."

Getting out of the car and walking towards the stairs, she turned to give him a little wave. She and Nick Miller were gonna be friends. Maybe it would be better this way. Just friends. Maybe this would be the beginning of something better than passion and lust. I can do this, she told herself. Yes, a new start.

She would just have to stop her stomach from fluttering everytime he looked at her. And maybe not notice his eyes so much or his neck muscles. She could do that...no problem.

He smiled back and started his car, his chest heaved a bit thinking about what he had just agreed to. Friends. Closing his eyes, hands still clutching the steering wheel, he remembered the way her soft skin felt as he caressed it the first time they kissed, how she felt in his arms when they danced at the wedding and how cute she had been trying her first gin and tonic. Friends my ass, she would never be just a friend to him. But he was willing to try if it meant he could simply be near those eyes of hers, that smile. Yeah, he would try like hell.

**End,**

**Mayalala**

**Next up, Book II in the Blue series..._Blurry Lines, _a continuation of this story and the prequal to _The Open Road. _**

**"He brought her a bottle of chilled champagne popping the cork into the sky, fizzy bubbles overflowing. She giggled as he handed it to her, watching carefully as she sipped the foam from the top. Leaning over close to her ear, he whispered 'Happy Birthday Jessica'."**

**lf you want to know what happened to Jess in Greece with the mysterious Nikolas, head over to fiction press, it's called Summer Roads by Mayalala.**

**Cheers,**


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